Tale of Young Sheik
by 20nickelback12
Summary: The story of a boy Minato Namikaze finds shipwrecked. His past is a mystery to him and others as well. As he goes through life making friends with people such as Kakashi Hatake, will he finally remember who he is and accomplish his dream of being the world's best fighter? Read to find out! This story leads up to the nine-tails attack. Contains One Piece allusions near the end.
1. Chapter 1: The Boy

**Hey guys, this is a story I've been thinking about doing for awhile. Read, review, and all that jazz to let me know what you think. Toodles. ^_^**

**Chapter 1: The Boy**

Minato leaned over the side of the boat, bored out of his mind. He wasn't very fond of boats. It was very cramped, and there was no way to run around and release that constant stream of pent up energy he seemed to have. Still, though, at least he was heading back home from the mission with his team in one piece. He smiled to himself under his ANBU mask as he thought of his home, of Kushina, his one true love.

However, he was snapped out of his daydreaming when he heard one of the ANBU on board say, "Look alive, guys. There appears to have been a battle. There's pieces of a shipwreck all over the place. The enemy may still be around."

Minato nodded, scanning the waters quickly for signs that the enemy may be lurking within. He paused as he spotted something yellow and lifted his mask slightly for a better look. His eyes widened at what he saw and he leaped off the ship without a second thought, his team mates shouting after him. Running over to what he saw he picked it up and quickly jumped back into the ship. Gently setting it down, he looked at the boy as his team gathered around him.

He was young, no more than four by Minato's reckoning, with blonde hair that lay flat on his head, drenched by the water, and falling down to his eyebrows and shoulders. His skin was around the same shade as Minato's and he had the same facial structure as he had had as a kid and on his forehead lay a scar in the shape of a crescent moon. His clothing consisted of a white hooded vest with a red short-sleeve shirt underneath it and white cargo pants that went down to his knees. His body had many cuts and bruises, though his clothing seemed to be miraculously intact.

Minato checked his pulse and was surprised at what he felt. Not only was his pulse normal, but his body was exceedingly warm. This was strange considering the freezing temperature of the water at this time of year. He glanced around at his team, giving them a silent signal to go back to their posts and let him handle the situation. With some slight grumbling, they left, leaving Minato to look over the boy some more.

A flash of gold around the boy's neck caught his eye and he reached for it. As he touched it, his wrist was suddenly grabbed by a small hand that nonetheless had a firm, fierce grip. He looked at the boy's face and was surprised to see red eyes staring at him. They were there for less than a second before they changed to a beautiful sky-blue, leaving Minato to believe that he had imagined it. Gently, he pulled his hand away and the boy let him, watching him all the while with calculating eyes.

Minato removed his mask, smiling warmly down at the boy and said, "Hello there, I'm Namikaze Minato. Who're you?"

The boy looked at him for a second, his expression thoughtful as he sat up.

"Sheik," came his simple reply.

Minato tilted his head to the side, pondering the strangeness of the name before asking, "Where're your parents?"

"Don't know." Sheik replied.

"Where're you from?" Minato asked next.

"Don't know," he said again.

Minato sighed, suppressing his irritation and said, "Is there anything you do know?"

Sheik gave a cheeky grin and said, "I know my name's Sheik and your name's Namikaze, which is a weird first name."

Minato laughed lightly and said, "My last name is Namikaze, my first name is Minato. Your name is pretty strange too."

Sheik laughed and rubbed the back of his head with his hand and said, "Well, that's just your opinion, Minato."

Minato chuckled slightly, partly because of what he said and partly because he pronounced his name Min-ah-tow.

"It's pronounced Minato," he said, saying it the correct way.

"Nah, that sounds stupid. I like the way I say it better," Sheik laughed.

Minato smiled at the boy. _This kid's pretty funny, I'll give him that. He's not afraid to speak his mind either. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing is up for debate. _He thought to himself.

"Is there anything you can tell me that I don't already know?" Minato asked.

"Um…I'm three years old and my birthday's on September 14…that's all I remember," Sheik said, frowning slightly in thought.

Minato sighed lightly thinking carefully about his predicament. The boy was younger than he had at first thought, which meant he could be easily influenced by whoever was in contact with him. Seeing as how he had found him shipwrecked, he could already assume that his parents were dead, making him an orphan. Minato sighed again, looking at Sheik. Sheik noticed him staring and smiled at him as though he hadn't a care in the world. Minato smiled back. _This kid's extremely likeable. I wonder what Hokage-sama will do with him? Maybe I can persuade him to let me adopt this kid. _He thought, ruffling Sheik's hair affectionately. Sheik laughed at him before suddenly stopping and closing his eyes, falling forward onto Minato's lap. Minato looked at him worriedly for a second before smiling again, he was fast asleep! Minato picked him up and carried him to the sleeping cabin. He lay the boy down in his hammock, still smiling as he left the room.

* * *

**Hey guys, this is just a side-note but I was wondering if maybe one of you could draw Sheik? The best picture gets my undying love and affection-because it's obviously the most important thing in the world. And maybe an occasional sneak peek at what I plan on putting in upcoming chapters and the sequel-yes there will be a sequel, 2 or 3 in fact.**

**Anyway, rate and review or don't...seriously though guys, rate and review, it'll make me happy. And when I'm happy I post more chappies. I won't post chapters everyday, but I'll try to get them up at least once a week-not making any promises though!**


	2. Chapter 2: Hatake Kakashi

**Chapter 2: Hatake Kakashi**

As soon as they had made port and returned to Konoha, Minato immediately set out toward the Hokage's building, both to give his mission report and to input his request to the Third Hokage. As he knocked on the door, still carrying Sheik on his shoulders, he was told to come in. Sarutobi looked at the boy and then at Minato questioningly, demanding an answer without having to say a word. Minato handed over his report and then started to explain how he had found the boy shipwrecked and how Sheik knew only of his name, his birthday, and his age.

Minato paused at the end of his report and said, "Hokage-sama, I wish to make a request."

The Hokage nodded for him to continue so he said, "I wish to adopt this boy."

Sarutobi looked at Minato, his fingers bridged as he covered half his face in thought, all the while smoking his pipe. Minato stood there, waiting for his answer for what seemed to him like hours. He felt movement on his back and looked over his shoulder to see Sheik waking up. Slowly, he set him down.

Sheik yawned, blinking rapidly and rubbing his eyes, looking around as he did so. He spotted Sarutobi and stared at him for a second before saying, "Who the hell're you, old man?"

Minato froze for a second before clamping a hand over Sheik's mouth, saying, "That's the Hokage, the leader and strongest ninja in our village. You have to show him the utmost respe-"

Minato was cut off as Sarutobi began to laugh jovially. Minato looked at him strangely whereas Sheik just gave him a 'WTF?' look. Noticing that Minato's hand was still covering his mouth, he licked it, causing Minato to whip it away quickly and give him a stern look, which Sheik ignored of course, before turning back to the Hokage.

"I can see why you want him, Minato-san. He's got spirit and it's obvious that the will of fire burns brightly within him. Yes, I think I'll honor your request. The boy's yours and I will fill out the necessary paperwork to have him stay in your custody—" Sarutobi started.

"I'm being adopted?! By Minato?! Hell yeah!" Sheik raised his arms in the air cheerfully, grinning widely.

Minato and Sarutobi sighed and smiled at the boy. About an hour later, the paperwork was filled out and Sheik had a last name, which he was quite proud of. Minato led his new son out of the Hokage tower and took him on a tour of the village, pointing out the various shops and introducing him to different people. As Minato was telling him about the ninja academy, he was interrupted by a voice he knew all too well.

"Well, if it isn't Konoha's Yellow Flash, Namikaze Minato. Who's the little guy with you?"

The Namikazes turned around, seeing a tall man with silver hair in a ponytail and dark eyes, followed by a smaller boy who looked around Sheik's age who could only be his son, who was, of course, wearing a mask.

"Konoha's White Fang, Hatake Sakumo, and his son, Hatake Kakashi. What a surprise seeing you here. I was just showing my son, Sheik, around the village." Minato smiled.

Kakashi looked at Sheik with vague interest whereas Sheik was staring at Sakumo with an unreadable expression on his face. Sakumo looked at the young boy and smiled at him, which Sheik returned happily.

"I wasn't aware that you had a son. When did this happen? Who's his mother?" Sakumo asked.

Minato rubbed the back of his head nervously and said, "Well, I kinda adopted him actually. Found him shipwrecked not too far from the mainland and decided to adopt him."

With that, Kakashi's look changed from that of vague interest to disdain as he said, "An outsider? What's scum like you doing in our village?"

Sheik looked at him coolly before saying, "What's an asshole like you doing in this village?"

Minato and Sakumo laughed as Kakashi glared at Sheik, who was looking quite content and calm by comparison. Suddenly, an idea struck Sakumo as he stopped laughing.

"Hey, why don't our boys have a little sparring match tomorrow at the training ground? It'll give'em a chance to get to know each other better and we can see what skills your boy has." Sakumo suggested.

"Sure, what time?" Minato asked, smiling.

"8 in the morning sound okay to you?"

"Sounds great to me."

"Hey, what the hell?! Don't I get a say in this?!" Sheik exclaimed.

"Nope." Minato replied.

* * *

The next morning, Minato awoke Sheik at 7 to get ready. They had gone shopping the previous day and gotten him clothes similar to the ones he already had on. After eating and putting his new clothes on, they set out toward the training grounds. They arrived there right on time, seeing Kakashi and Sakumo waiting for them. Minato and Sheik stopped on the other side of the training grounds and Kakashi stepped forward, a smug, confident look on what was visible of his face. By comparison, Sheik just yawned and looked at him with half-lidded eyes. Minato pushed him forward a bit before both parents leaped on a tree branch to watch the fight.

"I'll end this quickly." Kakashi said, running forward and punching Sheik hard in his left cheek.

Sheik flew back a few feet and lay sprawled on the ground, a trickle of blood coming from his mouth. Kakashi humphed and walked away. Halfway back to his father, he stopped as he heard movement behind him. Turning around, he saw Sheik getting to his feet, rubbing away the blood on his mouth, his eyes shadowed by his hair. Kakashi sighed and quickly ran to punch him again. However, to his surprise, his fist was caught by Sheik's left hand. Sheik looked him dead in the eyes, his once tired eyes now battle-hungry and blood-thirsty. Without hesitation, Sheik punched him hard in his left cheek, sending him falling back and sprawling on the ground.

"Now, we're even." Sheik snarled, his voice sounding completely different from before.

Minato stared at his son with wide eyes, this was a whole other side of Sheik he didn't know existed. Slowly, Kakashi got to his feet, his gaze calculating and serious. Suddenly, they both rushed forward, throwing punches and kicks at each other that were blocked or dodged. All in all, they were pretty evenly matched. Kakashi growled irritably and crouched low, aiming to kick him in the stomach. Sheik back flipped out of the way, landing on the water in the nearby river. Everyone's eyes widened in surprise, the boy was displaying the second level of chakra control.

They were surprised again, however, as the boy made a hand sign and said, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Around him appeared 5 solid clones, all of which rushed at Kakashi. Kakashi somehow managed to defeat all of them and was surrounded by smoke. Out of nowhere, Sheik jumped through the smoke and punched him in the face, sending him skidding away until he bumped into a tree. Kakashi opened his eyes and saw Sheik standing above him, smiling as he held his hand out. Kakashi humphed again but took his hand graciously.

"Good fight, my friend." Sheik said, still smiling.

Kakashi looked at him before allowing himself to smile and nod to Sheik. Sheik came closer to Kakashi and whispered something in his ear. Kakashi looked at him for a second before giving an eye smile and nodding again. With that, the two walked off, leaving Minato and Sakumo to stare after them, wondering what the hell had just happened.


	3. Chapter 3: Quintuple Trouble

**Hey guys. I'm having a bit of trouble deciding how I should start off the next chapter. Until then, I thought I'd add this fun little chapter in. Let you get to know a bit about Sheik's fun side. ^_^ Toodles!**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Quintuple Trouble**

After their sparring match, Sheik and Kakashi wandered aimlessly around town. Occasionally, they spoke to each other about their dads and what was going on around town, but both avoided the subject of their match. Sheik explained to Kakashi about how he had been found in the shipwreck with no memory of his past. Kakashi looked mildly surprised by this and lapsed into a thoughtful silence. Sheik stared at him for a second before sighing and putting his hands behind his head as they continued walking.

"So, if you don't remember anything, how'd you do the Shadow Clone Jutsu?" Kakashi asked, breaking the silence and looking over at his new friend curiously.

Sheik frowned, looking up at the sky before slowly saying, "I'm not sure. I didn't even think about it really. To tell the truth, I don't really remember much of our fight after you punched me. The rest of it's kind of a blur really….I guess I sorta just reacted on instinct, ya know? Maybe I just used a jutsu from my past that just came naturally?"

"'A jutsu that just came naturally—?" Kakashi began.

"You're repeating me, Kakashi," Sheik teased.

Kakashi ignored his teasing and continued, "The Shadow Clone Jutsu is an extremely advanced ninjutsu that takes a lot of time and energy to be able to master. How did a three year old kid like you master something like that? While we're on the subject of advanced things, how were you able to walk on water?"

Sheik sighed and said, "You're asking questions I don't know the answer to, Kakashi. I told you all I know about my past, nothing more nothing less."

Kakashi sighed, looking at Sheik. The fact that he had no knowledge of who he was didn't seem to bother him at all. On the contrary, he looked as happy as could be. Suddenly, he stopped and turned to Kakashi, a mischievous smirk plastered on his face as he looked at him.

"Kakashi, do you like art?" Sheik asked out of the blue.

"Um….I don't particularly care for it. Why?" Kakashi asked suspiciously.

"Because…I think the stone monuments could use a little redecorating," Sheik replied, his smile growing wider.

"No. Just…no. I'm having no part in this ridiculous plan of yours, alright?" Kakashi said sternly.

"Alright, fine, buzzkill," Sheik huffed, continuing down the road.

They continued walking but a short while later, they had to stop so Sheik could use the restroom. Though he wasn't in there long, Kakashi didn't question it as they set out again. Though they were silent in the beginning, they steadily began to talk more as the day went on. Both were enjoying themselves immensely, as they had each found their first friend. They talked and laughed-well, smiled in Kakashi's case- with each other and to anyone that saw them the seemed as though they had known each other forever. They soon reached Sheik's house and they both paused as they saw Minato standing at the door, a stern expression on his face as he looked at the boys before him.

"Care to explain, boys?" Minato asked, crossing his arms and leaning against the door frame.

Kakashi looked at Sheik, confused, as his friend said, "Explain what, pops?"

Minato said nothing and instead pointed behind them. The boys turned around and Kakashi's eyes widened as he saw that the Hokage monument was covered in paint. The first Hokage's face had a funny moustache and goatee combo and humongous glasses. The second Hokage looked like a clown. And finally, the third Hokage looked like a girl, complete with lipstick, eyeliner, eye shadow, blush, and other things girls put on their faces. Kakashi turned back to Minato as did Sheik-whose face was uncharacteristically straight.

"Well? I'm pretty sure you didn't do it, Kakashi. So it had to be you, Sheik," Minato said, pointing a finger at him.

Sheik put a hand over his heart, a hurt expression on his face as he said, "M-me? Why are you blaming me, Daddy? I was with Kakashi all day! Just ask all the villagers, we passed by."

Minato looked down at Sheik, unable to stay upset after seeing the hurt expression on his usually happy face.

"You're right, I'm sorry, Sheik. I shouldn't be so quick to blame you," Minato sighed, crouching down and ruffling his hair.

"I forgive you, Dad!" Sheik smiled, giving Minato a hug.

Looking over at Kakashi while hugging his dad, Sheik looked from the monument, to Kakashi, and back, winking at him. Kakashi's eyes widened in surprise at his hidden message. Though Kakashi wasn't surprised that Sheik would do something like this, he was curious as to how he had pulled it off without him noticing. Then it hit him: Shadow Clones. _But when did he…? _He thought. _Of course, the bathroom!_

* * *

Earlier that day:

Sheik walked into the bathroom of the store, checking all the stalls to make sure no one was there. He then performed the Shadow Clone Jutsu, summoning 5 clones. After that, he left the stall. A few minutes later, the clones left one by one, heading for the paint shop. They paid for the paint with some of the money their dad had recovered from the shipwreck and set about deciding how best to decorate the monuments as they made their way over there. When their plan was set, the quickly went to work, decorating to their hearts content. After they finished, they poofed, sending all the information they had learned to the real Sheik as he hugged his dad.

Kakashi glared at Sheik who in turn gave him a cocky smirk, the same smirk he'd had while before they had sparred. Kakashi sighed and walked away before he could get involved in any way. Although, Sheik could've sworn he saw Kakashi look up and at the monuments and laugh.

* * *

**Ah, I've always loved Sheik. So fun, so happy, so unKakashi-like. Rate and review or Sheik'll do to you what he did to the monuments. And he and I will enjoy every second of it :D**


	4. Chapter 4: Mom?

**Okay, 1****st**** I wanna give a shoutout to those who reviewed:**

**skylight96: Lol, thank you so much! In the beginning, I didn't intend for Sheik to turn out that way. He was originally supposed to be a sarcastic smartass who enjoyed getting on people's nerves! But, I love how he is now X3**

**And a thank you to those who favorited:**

**-Kanikikyon**

* * *

**Chapter 4: Mom?**

As Sheik went to his room and lay in his bed that night, he couldn't help but sigh in contentment. He had a father, a friend, and a home, what more could he ask for? _How about who I really am? _He thought to himself. He rolled over onto his side, his back facing the door and his front facing toward the window. He sighed, getting up and walking over to the window. He pulled out a chair and stood on it, opening the window and staring out at the stars and moon. Reaching down his jacket, he pulled out what Minato had seen when he had first found him: a rope necklace with a small, golden-triangle shaped pendant attached to it. He stared at it, hoping that it would give him the answers he sought. However, as expected, it remained silent.

He sighed once more. Going off of what his dad had told him, his parents were most likely dead. He frowned to himself, something didn't seem quite right about that. If his parents were dead, wouldn't he know, somewhere deep down inside, that they were no longer among the realm of the living? What's more, wouldn't he have other family members out there? Wouldn't they be looking for him? He closed his eyes, tightening his grip on the pendant in an effort to remember something. He saw blonde hair and eyes like his, and then he saw fire. When he saw the fire, he didn't feel any fear, just safety and comfort, and then it all went black. He sighed once again-how many times had he done that just within the last half-hour?-and looked down at the hand that clutched the pendant. He tucked it back into his jacket, relieved to have the cool metal touch his warm skin once more. He quickly changed into his night clothes and hopped into bed. His back once again facing the door, he sighed one final time and closed his eyes, falling to sleep after a long day.

* * *

He was awoken the next day by his father knocking on the door to wake him up for breakfast. After yawning and stretching, he made his way to the kitchen/dining room and sat down at the table. Minato set a plate of pancakes and sausage before him and poured him some milk, smiling and ruffling his hair as he did so. Sheik gave a wide smile of his own and was about to eat when Minato spoke.

"Hey, listen, Sheik. I want you to hang out with me today, there's someone I want you to meet."

Sheik shrugged and said, "Yeah, okay."

Minato smiled again and without another word they chowed down, eating every last bit of food. Making their way back to the kitchen, they cleaned the dishes; Minato washing them and Sheik drying them off whilst standing on a chair. Once the dishes were done, they left the house with Minato in the lead. Following not too far behind, Sheik looked up and noticed to his satisfaction that most of the paint still remained on the monument. Suppressing a smile, he looked away as he and Minato made their way to the park. There stood a woman with long red hair, her back turned to them. Upon hearing their footsteps, she turned around, revealing dark blue eyes. Seeing this, Sheik froze in his tracks, unable to move. Noticing this, Minato stopped and kneeled next to him.

"Hey, it's okay, no need to be afraid. This is my girlfriend, Uzumaki Kushina," Minato smiled.

Sheik just stood there, staring at her. Kushina smiled at him and Sheik took a step back, his head pounding as the memory of a woman with red hair and blue eyes and that smile entered his mind. _Mom?_ He thought to himself. Not realizing it, Sheik's entire body was shaking uncontrollably. Minato reached out hand to comfort him, but as soon as he touched his arm, Sheik slapped his hand away and ran off with Minato and Kushina yelling after him.

Sheik continued to run, not stopping even when he ran into villagers or when Kakashi and Sakumo called his name. Nor did he stop when he exited the village and came to a fenced in forest with a sign that said 'Forest of Death.' He just kept running, climbing over the fence as though it weren't even there. He ran through, ignoring all the snakes, leeches, and other creatures he came across. When he was about a mile in he stopped, panting with his hands on his knees as he finally took in his surroundings. He frowned, not remembering how he got here or how to get back, all he knew was that he was tired. Looking around, he spotted some roots, curved in such a way that they offered a sort of shelter from the elements. He lay down and made himself comfortable before falling asleep, he would figure this out after he took a nap.

* * *

When Sheik opened his eyes, he was astonished to see that the sun was rising, not setting as it should have been. Sheik frowned and mentally berated himself for falling asleep in a place he knew absolutely nothing about. He could have been attacked or killed for Kai's sake! Sheik's frown deepened as he thought _Kai? Where did that come from? _Shrugging lightly and brushing away the thought, he stood up, dusting himself off and looking around. His stomach growled and he sighed, he hadn't eaten for almost 24 hours.

"Well, I suppose the first thing I should do is scout out the area for enemies. After that, I need to find food and water," he said aloud.

Coming up with a plan comforted him and so he created twenty clones and sent them out to scour the area. Sheik sat down Indian style and began to meditate-for reasons he was not quite sure of. He sensed as one of his clones popped, a result of the leeches. Sheik made a mental note to avoid that area as well as any other chakra-sucking leeches that resided here. Sheik continued his meditation before he suddenly froze, hearing the sound of something very large slithering through the forest. Sheik opened his eyes and turned around, seeing the largest snake he had ever seen in his life. It was staring right at him before it suddenly lunged, missing as Sheik quickly back flipped out of the way in time. Skidding to a halt, he glared at the snake before mentally cursing himself. He didn't have any weapons and he only had one jutsu! _Well, may as well make use of it. _He thought to himself. He performed the hand sign but before he could gather up his chakra, the snake lunged again. Sheik dodged to the right and, thinking quickly, gathered up chakra in his foot and kicked the snake in its left eye. Blood spurted out and covered Sheik's leg as the snake hissed in agony. Sheik used this opportunity to create ten shadow clones who all-him included- scattered in different directions. As he ran through the forest, he couldn't help but smile to himself; this was turning out to be a pretty fun adventure after all!

* * *

Meanwhile, Minato was frantically and somewhat unsuccessfully looking for his son. He had searched the whole village top to bottom before finally deciding he needed help. After enlisting the help of an Inuzuka, a Hyuga, and one Hatake Sakumo, he set out to find Sheik. After the nin dogs picked up his trail from the park, running through the village at top speed. As they neared the edge of the village, Minato's heart sank, hoping they weren't going where he thought they were going. As they cleared the trees, he stopped, nearly sinking to his knees. His son, the boy he had come to see as his own flesh and blood, had entered the Forest of Death.


End file.
